Visma Raet - June 2020

Digitally transforming to drive efficiency

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Visma Raet: digitally transforming to drive efficiency

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WRITTEN BY

GEORGIA WILSON PRODUCED BY

JAMES PEPPER

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VISMA RAET

Tom van Dael, Finance and IT Director at Visma | Raet discusses digital transformation and change management

T

om van Dael, Finance and IT Director at Visma | Raet, began his career at the company in March 2019. Prior to his role

as Finance and IT Director, van Dael worked for 04

Tele2 (Netherlands), M7 Group and KPN. “I’ve always worked in telecoms and finance,” he says, “So moving to Visma | Raet was interesting for me.

I moved from telecoms, to a Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud computing company that combines HR with other business critical software. Currently the company is going through a digital transition, which is a big challenge and one that is very interesting. I still work within finance at Visma Raet, but in a different market with big transformation and integration plans.”

In July 2018, Visma Group acquired 100% of Raet, forming Visma | Raet in the Netherlands. “Being acquired by Visma there was a culture change.

Before, we were solely focused on HR and payroll software for businesses. With Visma, the company can now provide a wider range of business

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1965

Year founded

€150mn Revenue in euros

1,100 Number of employees

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VISMA RAET

“ Becoming a part of a bigger company has given a lot of new energy” — Tom van Dael, Finance and IT Director, Visma | Raet 06

software to companies,” says van Dael.

“In the Netherlands our vision at Visma | Raet is to be the leading HR company in the Netherlands. But on top of that, we want Visma to be the leading critical business software provider that offers the best business solutions.”

Since joining the company, van Dael has seen it drastically evolve in the wake of Visma’s acquisition of Raet.

“Becoming a part of a bigger company has given a lot of new energy due to new investments and the new competencies available. The acquisition has had a very positive impact on Visma | Raet, not only from a business growth point of view, but in terms of personnel and culture as well.”

When it comes to digital transformation at Visma | Raet, van Dael highlights that one of the biggest challenges he has faced is the continued use of legacy systems. However, he says“the acquisition has given us access to a multitude of software from Visma that we can internally use. The use of this gives us the ability to optimise our software internally and provide our customers the best experience with our improved products.”

Visma | Raet: talent management CLICK TO WATCH

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1:08

07 Currently, van Dael is working to

business software industry. “If you are

drive efficiency and a better experi-

selling software, you need to make sure

ence via digital transformation. “We

that your own company is using it too,

are working to make sure our backend

to become your own advocate for the

has a clear setup of systems that are

software you are selling,” he adds.

fully integrated, cloud based and eas-

While the company provides cloud-

ily accessible for the business,” says

based technology to its customers,

van Dael, who believes that “finance is

van Dael is working towards becom-

one of the drivers of change within the

ing a fully cloud-based organisation

business. In order to be more efficient

internally: “Cloud technology currently

in the market we need to foster larger

provides our users with a lot of flex-

quantities of more efficient insights.”

ibility and accessibility, something the

Van Dael also sees digital trans-

company can benefit from internally.”

formation providing multiple benefits

When asked about other innovative

for remaining competitive within the

technology, van Dael highlights the w w w. ra et . n l

VISMA RAET

08 company’s use of big data, analytics

van Dael believes Visma | Raet is begin-

and robotics. “When it comes to big

ning to build a solid foundation for its

data, we are on the edge of a huge

software in order to not only incorpo-

opportunity to harness this technol-

rate innovative technologies such as

ogy efficiently. Building good data

artificial intelligence and machine

governance as we continue our digital

learning within the business in the

transformation and company restruc-

future, but to drive efficient use of

ture will undoubtedly benefit Visma |

these technologies.

Raet.” At the moment, the company is

During its digital transformation

laying the foundations for collecting

journey, Visma | Raet has partnered

higher quality data to drive its analytics

with multiple companies to comple-

to the next level, as well as to improve

ment the Visma best of breed business

and extend the use of robots currently

software set up. Macaw has been

already used within its business process

the company’s integration partner

outsource department. Ultimately,

from the beginning, implementing

the foundations for a flexible Azure integration platform within Visma | Raet. This stable platform has helped the company to transform its internal IT towards a business enabler and take on the challenge to move away from legacy systems. The integrated cloud business software consists of Visma Severa, capturing all projects of Professional Services, Visma. net Financials, as well as supporting accounting, invoicing and Visma 09 E X E C U T I V E P R OF IL E :

Tom van Dael Title: Finance and IT Director

Company: Visma | Raet

Industry: Business software

Location: Netherlands

Tom leads the business systems transformation to a fully cloud-based, integrated, predominantly Visma stack. Finding the right balance between finance, IT, customers, processes, employees, skills and culture in this continuous transformation is a great challenge which gives a lot of energy. Being surrounded by so many different highly skilled professionals stimulates continuous learning and development. Another great reward is knowing that the company’s customers benefit from its internal optimisation of the Visma business software. Tom believes the internal internal set up of integrated cloud-based best of breed Visma business software, complemented with efficient use of data analytics and robotics, needs to evolve to the ultimate showcase. w w w. ra et . n l

Visma | Raet Managing Director Debby de Gelder

11 ProActive running the procurement process. To complement its business software, Visma | Raet uses Zuora to optimise its Software Subscription billing, which is also integrated within its Salesforce CRM. In addition to Macaw, Zuora and Salesforce, Visma | Raet has also partnered with Netive to support the management of its external layers of personnel and Kryon to optimise its processes by automating the mundane and repetitive activities. “The data set up of the new integrated business systems combined with the robotics capabilities opens a whole new window

“ If you are selling software, you need to make sure that your own company is using it too, to become your own advocate for the software you are selling” — Tom van Dael, Finance and IT Director, Visma | Raet

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VISMA RAET

for the next step of data analytics to support our business,” says van Dael.

Discussing the topic of change management, van Dael highlights the importance of continuously upskilling your workforce. “If a company is looking to change its way of operating or implementing new systems and technology, it’s not just processes that need to change. People need to change too – they need to be upskilled.

Becoming part of a bigger company makes you look more closely at the 12

things that you do and the resources you use to ensure efficiency and optimisation.” As a result of becoming Visma | Raet, van Dael speaks proudly of its increased access to talent. “We are no longer limited to the Netherlands,” he says, “now we have multiple markets in which Visma is active, which provides access to different talents and competencies to develop our workforce.”

When it comes to the impact of digital transformation on the company’s workforce, van Dael details the impact it is having specifically on his department.

“Moving to a new system is a big change,” says van Dael. “Replacing legacy

software with new software enables us to provide more high value services in the future. However, this does mean our workforce needs to develop as a result, by learning new skills and potentially changing their way of working.” van Dael adds that, although change requires a lot of work, he believes people find it interesting, and that ultimately it helps employees and businesses to move to the next level. With this belief in mind, Visma | Raet looks to its people – alongside support from external organisations – to improve the operations of the business. “People themselves know the areas they want to improve and where the opportunities are to make processes work better.

By involving people, whether from IT, finance or the business at large, everyone sees the personal benefits in transforming and as a result develop themselves in a natural way alongside the business.”

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